Northwest Dive Club

Hey guys

I have a used neosprene drysuit that I think is leaking. My shirt always get wet, down to my waist. At first, I thought I was sweating so I made sure I wasn't wearing anything that would make me sweat. I just wore a thin Under Armour shirt and it still got very wet. Water isn't coming from my arm but it seems like it may be coming from my shoulders. Could it be coming from my rear zippers or my neck? Neck seal is brand new and I don't see any holes or damages to it.

Is there a way to find out where the leak is coming from without having to take my suit to a shop?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

secure all the holes. Small cups for the arms and a bowl for the neck. Be sure to close the dump valve!
Then inflate well.
Spray with soapy water at your suspected leak areas.
Watch for bubbles.

Or you can do a ad hoc test like I did on a dive boat in gods pocket. :-).

In the particular area I would suspect the inflator valve though it could be anywhere in the main body because that is where the water will naturally settle. I had one that did that and drove me crazy for awhile. Finally figured it out that I had a pinhole leak in the seam under my arm.

seattlepaul1975 wrote:Or you can do a ad hoc test like I did on a dive boat in gods pocket. :-).

LOL!

I will try the soap water thing

10 to 1 neck seal leak.

Nwbrewer wrote:10 to 1 neck seal leak.

Inflator orings will look like a suit leak too. They are tiny but critical orings in there.

I always had a hard time with the soapy water trick. Recently I read about filling the suit with some water instead--I tried that and it seemed to work well. You just need to make sure you keep the outside of the suit dry, or you'll never spot the new wet spots.

And here's another vote for verifying your inflator.

Nwbrewer wrote:10 to 1 neck seal leak.

How do I know it's a neck seal leak? I'm assuming the soap water spray method isn't going to work since I'm going to have neck and two arms covered?

My drysuit is still wet from Sunday's dive so I'm waiting until tomorrow to try. I hope I can find the leak. :(

I'll post an update for you guys.

A guy I dive with was having the same symptoms. He had his neck seal too high on his neck and when he moved his head to look down the seal would leak at the back of his neck. We could see it above water when he moved his head ahead and moving the sealing surface down his neck cured the problem. Easy to check anyway.

Iqjumpuw wrote:

Nwbrewer wrote:10 to 1 neck seal leak.

I'm assuming the soap water spray method isn't going to work since I'm going to have neck and two arms covered?

It actually might. You mentioned it's a new seal, if it wasn't glued right it will leak around the base.

What kind of neck seal does it have? If the glue joint is OK, and it's not leaking anywhere else by the soapy bubble test (you don't need it to dry to test that by the way.) Then put it on, and have a buddy check it over as you move your head around. Make sure it's not rolling, or pulling away from your neck when you move.

It has the neosprene neck seal and rubber for cuffs.

I couldn't find any leak when I did it myself so I ended up taking it to the shop. They are going to test it for $35... plus more to patch up the leak.

(T_T)

Could also be the neoprene neck seal. I have known more than one person who had that problem

Dusty2 wrote:Could also be the neoprene neck seal. I have known more than one person who had that problem

When Neo neck seals fit right, they are awesome. When they don't you get soggy. 2mm seals seem to work much better than 3mm.

You guys were right. It was the neo neck seals. :(